Nearly half of all internet users are loyal to their favourite blogs and visit them on a regular basis - according to the results of a new survey.

The study by Synovate/Marketing Daily found 15% of readers check their favourite blogs daily and five per cent view them several times every day.

Of those people who read blogs, 65% said they get opinions, while 39% get news and 38% get entertainment. One in three 3 people read gossip on blogs while only two per cent use them to catch up on news about family and friends.

When asked why they read blogs, almost half the respondents surveyed said they found their favourite ones entertaining. A quarter said they read them to learn about specific hobbies or other areas they are interested in.

In May 2007, the blog search engine Technorati revealed it was tracking more than 71 million blogs. As the growth and awareness of blogs increases, the research highlighted the link between them and their attractiveness as a potential marketing tool. A third of blog readers have clicked on an advert while reading a blog and 43% of those interviewed said they had noticed advertisements on blogs.

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